Kushina lowered her head and traced two circles on the ground with the tip of her foot. Then she looked up at Sarutobi Toru. "Sensei, you absolutely can't tell anyone about this!"
Sarutobi Toru wore an expression somewhere between laughter and tears. "Don't worry. How could I possibly tell anyone about something like this? What kind of image do you have of me, Kushina?"
"Sensei's image?" Kushina suddenly blushed bright red and glanced at Sarutobi Toru, a faintly infatuated look showing in her eyes. Then she lowered her head again and softly said, "The image of Sensei in my heart... has always been the very best."
Naturally, a scumbag like Sarutobi Toru could hear the affection in Kushina's words. Still, he had no appetite for making a move on an eleven-year-old girl. He would have to raise her for a few more years at least.
So he merely gently stroked Kushina's beautiful red hair. "All right, Kushina. You're tired today too, so go back and get some rest first."
Kushina softly hummed in acknowledgment and obediently went back.
The moment she returned to her room, Kushina threw herself onto the bed and rolled around desperately. "Aaaah, what do I do? I embarrassed myself so badly in front of Sensei today."
Yes, wetting herself in front of the man she liked. For a young girl her age, it truly was the sort of thing that made the sky come crashing down.
Kanao, who shared the room with Kushina, awkwardly spoke up. "Kushina, are you all right?"
"Leave me alone. I'm already dead," Kushina said weakly.
"It's fine, really." Kanao held back a laugh. "Sarutobi-sensei probably won't care about something like that, right? Didn't you ask him just now? Sensei said he wouldn't tell anyone either."
Kushina buried her head in her